Aftermath
by Nev827
Summary: Rick Castle has just left the 12th precinct, headed to the Hamptons for the summer with his ex-wife Gina, leaving Kate Beckett to pick up the pieces of her broken heart. This was meant as a one-shot, but I was inspired to continue with more chapters.
1. Chapter 1

"See you in the fall?" Beckett called after Castle, trying to disguise the pleading in the question.

"See you in the fall," Castle answered, almost casually over his shoulder.

How could he? How could he be so casual, Beckett thought. I was gonna bear my soul to him and then Little Miss Sexless Relationship Ex-Wife swoops in and ruins everything. After dumping her handsome, but uninteresting Detective boyfriend Tom Demming, she was finally going to open up, take down some of the bricks in the wall she had erected around the most vulnerable part of herself, and tell Castle that she had truly grown to care for him and that she was prepared to deal with whatever fate had in store for them for the future. She didn't know where his career would take him, or even whether or not she'd survive a bullet fired tomorrow from some crazed lunatic's gun, but all she knew was that she liked him more than a friend and that she didn't want to lose him. Now it felt like she had done just that.

She watched in shock as Castle headed towards the elevator with his ex-wife and publisher Gina, arms around each other's waists. She watched as they boarded the elevator, and as the elevator doors closed on them. That was it. She wouldn't see him again until the fall. And God knows a lot can change between now and then.

She wanted to run after them, to sit down, to move somehow, but the impulses her brain was sending to her legs weren't registering. She was rooted on the spot, right in front of a pane of glass that looked into the conference room where all her friends, Lanie, Ryan, Esposito, and Captain Montgomery stood with emotional faces watching her. She felt their eyes boring into her and wanted to get away from them, but again her legs felt like they had been stuck knee-deep in wet cement. 

She put her hands in her pockets and stared at the floor, feeling hot tears forming in her eyes. I am not going to cry in the precinct, she demanded of herself. But dammit, that bastard! How could I let him get to me like this? If she had asked him that, he would have simply said "The heart wants what the heart wants" or something nice and pithy like that. Well, it's obvious what his heart wants. And it clearly doesn't involve her.

Beckett felt the old anger surge from her stomach into her chest, and quickly spread to all her limbs. It was the same reaction she had after her mom died and the detectives boxed the unsolved case up in a nice, neat little package. It was how she felt when Sorenson took off out of state to take a job with the FBI, callously thinking that she would just pick up and follow him and then rearrange her life every time he got transferred somewhere else. Never again, she had vowed. Never again would she let someone peel back that many layers of the Beckett onion so easily.

Then Castle came along. He irritated the crap out of her at first with his incessant flirting and joking and playing at crime scenes like he was on a 9-year old on a field trip. Still, he had helped her solve the case where someone made it look like they were copycatting his books. And that intrigued her. She was used to being the one who was right, who always caught the right guy, who never left any stone unturned in an investigation. So whenever he told her she was going down the wrong path after their first case, she was reluctant, but she listened to him. And his hunches always seemed to pan out, sometimes directly, sometimes indirectly. She also found out, that behind the flirts, and the charm, and the cool arrogance, was a sweetness and a heart and a sense of humor that she missed. So she had slowly let him in. Only to have it blow up in her face and tear her heart to pieces.

As Lanie approached her finally, her legs caught weak life and she slid into the chair that had been his chair. The romantic side of her hoped to feel his warmth emanating from it, to smell his cologne on the cushions, to gain strength from it as he had so many times given her strength. She sat there, hands clenched on her lap and her lower jaw tightly closed. Her eyes were full of both fire and tears. Lanie sat in Beckett's chair and rolled it close to her best friend so that their knees almost touched.

"Kate," Lanie said and she reached out and put her hand over one of Beckett's fists. "I'm here if you wanna talk. We're all here."

"Well, I don't wanna talk about it," Beckett growled and stood up so fast that she pushed the chair back a good several inches. Forgetting about the cold beer she had sat on her desk and about the fact that all the gang was watching her, she walked around to her desk, and yanked open the drawer where she kept her purse. She pulled it out, threw it over her shoulder, and banged the drawer shut so hard it bounced open again slightly. She began to head for the elevator, when Lanie caught hold of one of her arms.

"If you don't wanna talk, fine. I just want you to know that even though he's gone, we're not." Beckett paused for a moment and slowly nodded. "Call me. Anytime, if you need me," Lanie said. Beckett nodded again and caught a glimpse of Ryan, Esposito, and Montgomery in the doorway of the conference room. The looks on their faces told her that they had her back, as always. Just because they too may have missed Castle, didn't mean they wouldn't be there for her.

"Thanks guys," Beckett said and headed for the elevator. For a moment there, surrounded by her friends, she felt the anger dissipate, but as soon as she was alone enclosed by those steel walls, she felt it come rushing back. She wanted to kick a hole through the elevator wall, but knew that that story would follow her around the precinct for weeks, just as the one about her dumping Demming, and then being dumped by Castle would follow her too. Word around the 12th precinct would be that she had lost her edge and that she couldn't handle the stress anymore. That was the last thing she needed right now.

She exited the elevator and the building and caught a cab with remarkable ease. As she sat in the back seat on the ride home, she couldn't help but notice all the happy couples out on the street. Why was it always like that, she thought. Does someone notify all these people whenever some poor sap has had their heart stomped on that it's time to rub their happiness in the heart breakee's face by rushing into the streets at the same time and making goo-goo eyes at each other? It's so freaking unfair. To think she was so confident and relaxed only 15 minutes ago. She was so looking forward to Castle's reaction to what she had to say as well as to seeing that smile break across his face, and to maybe feel his hand hold hers…or to feel more him near her. But it was all over now.

And to add insult to injury, the song "It Must Have Been Love" by Roxette came on the radio. Beckett tried her hardest to shut out those words and the vision of Julia Roberts riding in a cab in the rain away from Richard Gere's hotel room. Was the look that she now wore on her face very similar to that on Julia Roberts' face? Was the sadness there? The longing? The regretting a missed opportunity? It was all there, Beckett answered herself. She rested her head against the cab window and shut her eyes. As hard as she tried to stop it a single tear finally leaked out and crawled down her cheek. She attempted to stem the flow by blinking her eyes and breathing faster until her chest heaved and she wheezed through her nose under the effort.

"You OK lady?" The cabbie asked. Beckett quickly wiped the tear off her face.

"I'm fine. Just get me the hell home," she answered curtly. The cabbie nodded silently and clammed up, but still smirked and threw her a knowing glance in the rear view mirror.

He let her off in front of her apartment building. As she approached the front door, she cursed her clumsiness when she dropped her keys to the pavement. She picked them up and found that her hand was trembling so much that she could barely get the key in the lock. She growled at herself some more and finally succeeded. The door banged against the wall next to it when she threw it open. She could see that she had mail in her box, and ignored it without a second thought. At that moment, she could care less. Her footsteps echoed through the stairwell as her legs stomped on each step to her floor. She had a bit of an easier time getting her front door open. She shoved it, much like she had the front door to her building and when it came back at her to close, she smacked it back open again. She slammed her purse on the kitchen counter along with her keys.

Now safe inside her apartment, she looked around at the darkness. The loneliness. She could see the new couch she had bought to replace the one she had lost when her apartment was blown up. This made her remember the night before that day when Castle had demanded to sleep over, not wanting to leave her alone as long as a madman was loose and dedicating murders to her. In retrospect her apartment seemed lighter while he was there, even more comforting than before. It seemed truly like a home and for a second Beckett saw him laying lengthwise on the new couch, his arm over the back, his hand grasping a glass of wine. He sees her standing there looking at him and smiles the devilish grin that always made her heart flutter. Then he fades away into the darkness.

He's not here, Beckett thought. He's in a car somewhere halfway to the Hamptons…with her. And here I am, all by myself. Alone and broken hearted.

Suddenly the solitude overwhelmed Kate Beckett and she leaned back against her front door. Slowly, she slid down until she sat on the floor with her legs pulled up to her chest. Now, curled up in almost the fetal position, she lost control. Her face gradually contorted and the tears fell like rain on an April day. She buried her face on her knees and wrapped her arms around her legs as her shoulders trembled uncontrollably.

Castle. Rick Castle.

That smile.

That humor.

That warmth.

That wit.

That heart.

That man.

She had lost him.

Perhaps for good.

Beckett lifted her head off her knees, wiped her eyes and nose, and fished her cell phone out of her coat pocket. She scrolled through its contacts list until she found the name she desperately wanted to talk to and punched send. After a few rings, a voice answered.

"Lanie?" Beckett asked, her voice trembling and her nose sniffling.

There was a pause on the other end, then an answer. "I'm on my way."


	2. Chapter 2

Aftermath – Chapter 2

Kate gathered herself up from laying on her couch to answer the knock at her door. She knew her eyes were red and puffy, but didn't care. Unlike so many times in other parts of her life, she didn't care that anyone with half a wit of common sense would be able to read her emotions at the moment. On her way to her front door, she grabbed a tissue and wiped her nose which seemed to be leaking like a sieve. She pulled her front door open to reveal Lanie standing there still dressed in the peach blouse and dark suit she was wearing at Castle's good bye pizza party. 

Castle.  
Leaving arm in arm with his ex-wife.  
To the Hamptons.  
Together.  
For the summer. 

It seemed like ages ago that she had him all to herself outside the 12th precinct homicide division conference room, beer in her hand, finally ready to bare her soul to him. Maybe the casual observer wouldn't see it as baring her soul, but to someone like Kate, it was tantamount to just that. There she was and there he was. Then suddenly, there was her heart, ripped from her chest and thrown to the floor like a banana peel when his publisher ex-wife Gina arrived to pick up Castle for THEIR trip to Castle's summer house. 

Kate tried to push those oh-so-painful thoughts from her mind as Lanie stepped across her threshold and wrapped her arms around her best friend. As much as she tried to stop it, Kate lost her composure as she had another three times since her phone call to Lanie right after she had arrived home to her empty apartment. She hated herself for showing such weakness, but much more so for letting herself be so vulnerable that her heart was open to being stomped on like it was. She hated herself for daring to take down the walls she had erected after her Mom's death, after she failed to solve her Mom's murder, and Will left her. 

"It's OK, honey," Lanie soothed quietly in Kate's ear as she sobbed. "Let it out. No one has to know but me. You do what you need to." Lanie surprised herself at how calm she sounded, when inwardly her heart was breaking for her girl. She closed her own eyes tightly and let a few tears of her own leak out. 

Finally, the two women separated, both sniffling, both with cheeks red with emotion. "C'mon. I brought your favorites. Twizzlers and Gummy Bears," Lanie said as she shepherded Kate over to her couch with an arm around her waist. Once she was safely off her feet and had collapsed into the cushions, Lanie took off her long coat and threw it over the back of an oversized arm chair that sat near the end of the couch where Kate was curled, her knees pulled up to her chest and her arms around her knees. Lanie then made her way into the kitchen, pulled out a bottle of what she knew was Kate's favorite wine, poured two glasses, and headed back to Kate, who had already cracked open the Twizzlers. Kate accepted the glass and took a long swig of the red liquid. Lanie sat in the arm chair and was relieved to hear Kate exhale heavily. 

"So tell me what happened, even though from the look I saw on your face and his, I already have a pretty good idea."

Kate studied the bottom of her glass of wine and spoke quietly. "That was his ex-wife and publisher, Gina. They're spending the summer in the Hamptons together so she can 'keep on top of' his progress on _Naked Heat_," Kate said, emphasizing Gina's own words.

Lanie's eyebrows shot up at the title of Castle's next Nikki Heat book. "_Naked Heat_? Is that what he's calling the next book?"

"Unfortunately," Kate answered and took another long drink from her glass. She then shot Lanie a disapproving look as the Medical Examiner tried to stifle a laugh, then gave up and chortled heartily.  
"Lanie, what the hell is wrong with you?" Kate asked incredulous.

"I'm sorry, babe, but given all you've gone through tonight, don't you think that's just the perfect cherry on top of the sundae? I mean, first he tells you this is you guy's last case for the summer, second he takes this woman to the Hamptons with him when he had invited you and just as you had apparently worked up the courage to tell him you like him, and now you've gotta worry about being needled by every uniform in the city because of that title? You can't find it in yourself to laugh at the fact that the you-know-what hit the fan three times here?"

"She's naked on this cover just like on the last one," Kate angrily shot back and tossed a half-eaten Twizzler on the coffee table. "Now go laugh about that some more." She then drained her glass of wine and headed to the kitchen for a refill.

"Kate, please don't misunderstand my reaction. It's just that sometimes there's only so much of a roller coaster ride that you can take before you have to let it all out somehow. And I don't mean crying." Now Lanie took a gulp from her own glass as she studied Kate who had returned to the couch and now sat with one leg folded underneath her instead of in the closed off posture she was in before. "Laughter is just another way to express emotion, you know," Lanie added.

Instead of acknowledging Lanie's point, Kate just stared weakly at her glass. Lanie put her own glass on the coffee table and got up to sit next to her friend. She put her right arm around Kate's shoulders and placed her left hand on Kate's left wrist, rubbing it gently with her thumb. "It doesn't mean I don't care."

"I know Lanie. I'm sorry."

"Oh, don't be. Now that I think about it that was insensitive of me."

"It's OK. I appreciate you're trying to find humor in this whole thing. I just wish I could do the same as easily. God, I hate what he's done to me," Kate thought out loud.

"You've flirted with him quite a bit if I remember correctly," Lanie observed. "It takes two to tango, Kate. And I don't blame you in the least for wanting to tango with that man."

Kate finally smiled and blushed slightly, then the pained look returned. "I don't know how I could be so stupid to let this happen. To open myself up to being hurt AGAIN. You know, as hard as I tried to fight it, I couldn't help but play along with him. He's just such an easy mark, I couldn't resist. Seeing that look on his face when I've got him right to the point where he thinks it's finally gonna happen, and then the puppy dog eyes he makes as I walk away casually, they'd just make me melt every time. It's never gonna happen though, I just know it. He's always gonna be Rick Castle the millionaire playboy novelist who every bimbo in the city knows would be putty in her hands. He's never gonna be serious about a woman, he's never gonna commit. Every logical, rational part of me tells me that this just won't work and that I'll only end up hurt," Kate finished.

"You can't help who you care about, Kate. Did it make rational sense for Prince Edward to give up the throne to marry Wallis Simpson? Did it make rational sense for Grace Kelly to give up an acting career to marry the Prince of Monaco? It's not supposed to make sense because it's your heart we're talking about here. If it did, there'd only be one book on how to have a successful relationship instead of thousands. And believe me, that one book would be sitting square in the middle of my bookshelf," Lanie joked.

"I guess you're right," Kate admitted, and smiled, marveling briefly at Lanie's vast amount of wisdom which belied her diminutive size. I guess when you deal with dead bodies all day, it gives you a lot of time to think to yourself, Kate mused.

"Speaking of relationships, doesn't this throw a heck of a monkeywrench into yours with Demming?" Lanie asked, bringing Kate back to the present.

"We're not together anymore. I broke up with him just before I tried to talk to Castle," Kate answered and only sipped her wine. The mere act of speaking his name still sent pangs through her system.  
Lanie's face brightened with realization. "So that explains what got into you. I thought something looked different when you came in the conference room."

"Yeah, a lot of good it did me. Now I get to spend the summer alone instead of with someone, even if that someone isn't what I'm looking for right now."

Lanie took a drink of her wine and looked at Kate seriously. "Honey, you and I both know that life is too short to spend it in the company of someone who your heart of hearts says isn't the one for you. Besides, you should have seen the smile that was on your face when you came in and cracked open that beer." Lanie elbowed Kate gently in the ribs, causing a smirk to find its way onto her face, then continued. "Based on that and the flirts that were flying out of your mouth in Castle's direction, I'd say it wouldn't have worked out anyway, so don't worry your pretty little head about it. Admit it, you were glad you put that behind you," Lanie finished.

"Tom was so great really, but he just wasn't…something was missing." Kate's eyes took on a far off expression as she tried to find the right words to explain why she ended a good relationship with a handsome detective who thought the world of her.

"You mean he wasn't Castle," Lanie said in her characteristically direct voice. Kate could feel her eyes pressing into her and making her feel transparent and even more vulnerable. She hated the feeling, but couldn't help let it spread throughout her body.

"No," she answered as a single tear formed in one of her eyes. Before she could blink it or wipe it away, it began traveling down her cheek as memories of what she both loved and hated about Castle flooded through her mind. There was nobody who teased her, who defied her, who embarrassed her, who annoyed her, and who aggravated her, but at the same time challenged her, opened her up, lightened her mood, kept up with her when she built theory, and who warmed her soul more than Richard Castle. 

Lanie wiped the tear away from Kate's face and gave her another warm squeeze. "He said he's coming back in the fall didn't he?" Lanie asked.

"Yeah he did," Kate said sniffling again. Damn that nose. "The question is - will things have changed between him and her by then."

"Oh no, sweetie. I think the question is what are we all gonna do to him when he gets back," Lanie corrected and sent Kate a devilish look as she tossed a few gummy bears in her mouth.

Kate nodded at her friend as a sly grin finally crept onto her face.


	3. Chapter 3

Aftermath Chapter 3

A week after Lanie spent the evening comforting Beckett, Castle sat stretched out on a lounge chair on the back patio of his house in the Hamptons. The patio overlooked the beach and Castle found the light breeze and the smell of the salt air conducive to writing, so his laptop sat on his lap and jiggled slightly as he tapped on the keys. Since he had arrived with Gina, he had knocked out three chapters of Naked Heat and was presently in the middle of a fourth. The two of them were getting along great, just as they did when they first met. While Castle did miss the precinct and the daily challenge of solving murders, as well as Alexis and his mother, his renewed connection with Gina and focus on Nikki Heat seemed to fill the void. A nagging voice at the back of his head kept asking for how long they would suffice, but every time he was able to push those thoughts away and get to work. He was well past his deadline and his livelihood depended on getting the book finished.

He hadn't spoken to his mother at all, which wasn't unusual given the hectic schedule of someone in a theatrical production, but he had spoken to Alexis three times, and each time she seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. He also heard male voices in the background of each phone call, which made him cringe, but there wasn't much he could do about it. She had to be there, and he had to be here. Plus, if anything did happen, he knew some cops and a Medical Examiner he could call on to make it look like an accident. Besides his mother, he also hadn't spoken to Captain Montgomery, Ryan or Esposito, or even Kate at all since leaving the precinct after his going-away pizza and beer party. He did notice that Lanie had called him when he was in the shower one day. He left her a voice mail in response, but hadn't heard back.

As he paused to work through a new scene in his mind, he heard Gina call him from inside the house. He decided that he could pick up where he left off later, so he saved the file, closed the lid of his laptop and stood to go into the house only to find that Gina had come out to find him.

"There you are," she said as she dropped her purse by the door that led into the house's spacious family room. "Get a lot done today?"

"Yeah, actually. About a chapter and half," Castle answered. "Not as much as I'd wanted to, but it's still progress."

"Good." Gina said matter-of-factly. There was then an awkward silence as she looked at him as if she was debating with herself about what to say or do next. "I wasn't interrupting anything was I, because if you're on a roll, I wouldn't -"

"No, no. It's fine. I was just trying to work out a new scene when you came out here anyway."

"What's the scene?"

"It's a more funny one where Rook takes revenge on Heat, Raley, and Ochoa for playing a series of pranks on him. It's totally hilarious!" Castle's eyes positively lit up with delight as he spoke.

Gina took a step closer to him, putting her squarely in his personal space, and grinned. "I'm glad to see you're enjoying yourself again."

Castle couldn't help but pick up on a slightly seductive tone in his ex-wife's voice. His brow furrowed slightly as he also suspected that Gina was holding back on something. "Is something going on because you've never been worried about interrupting me while I was writing before?"

Inside, Gina knew he had seen right through her like a pane of glass, but the corporate knock-em-dead instincts that she had spent so long honing took over quickly enabling her to cover herself. "No, nothing's going on. I'm just proud of the progress you've made on the book. I gotta be honest though, I was really getting concerned that this one would never see the light of day and we'd have to take back that advance and the press would be bad, and … you know. Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera."

"Right, of course. A lot of things were starting to get to me too, but I think that getting out of the city, the change of scenery, it all really made a difference."

"Great," Gina said and smiled the million-dollar smile that was what originally attracted Castle to her. He couldn't help but smile back, if for no other reason than to fill the second awkward silence that had crept up between them.

"You know what, let me take you out to celebrate how much work you've gotten done," Gina suggested.

A little voice sounded off in Castle's brain that this was not a good idea. On the surface, Gina was intelligent, savvy, and charming, but Castle also knew she had a darker side that resembled a manipulative corporate killer. Still, they had been getting along really well so far and that whole time she hadn't so much as hinted at a desire to rekindle their romance. Then something Beckett had once told him when he'd had the actress Ellie Monroe throwing herself at him crossed his mind. Maybe Gina was interested in more than just his getting the book done. Maybe she'd sensed that he and Beckett were getting too close and she'd ingratiated herself to him just enough so that he'd invite her to the Hamptons with him.

Beckett. No, put THAT out of your mind, he told himself. She's off limits with Demming now. Probably on a beach somewhere in a skimpy two-piece bikini making googly eyes at him as she rubs sunscreen over his chiseled shoulders. She's happy with him, so you have to let that go. And isn't that the reason you invited Gina to come with you in the first place? To move on? To give Beckett her space? Judging from the fact that you haven't heard from her since arriving here, it's a safe bet that it worked.

"C'mon Rick. I think you deserve it. I've cracked the whip and you've responded. Don't you think that you've earned a little dinner on me?" Gina kept her eyes and voice casual and relaxed, so as to disguise any appearance of begging – or her real purpose.

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Listen, I'm your publisher, so I order you to take the night off and join me for dinner at the Blue and White Tavern."

Castle's eyes flew open at the mention of his favorite restaurant that was only a short drive away from his house. "The Blue and White? Why didn't you say so! I'll go pretty up!" He snatched up his laptop and practically skipped off the porch and into the house

"Our reservation is at 7:30, so make it snappy," Gina called after him. She then turned and gazed out over the ocean at the sun that had just begun to set. Like putty in my hands, she thought, and turned around and headed into the house to get ready herself.


	4. Chapter 4

Aftermath Chapter 4

Three hours later, Castle and Gina returned to the house after sharing a sumptuous seafood dinner. Castle had forgone a tie for the evening and wore a navy blue suit with a light blue matching dress shirt, while Gina chose a form-fitting and very low cut short black dress and matching heels. The sun had set, and the house was dark when they both stepped inside the large kitchen that adjoined the family room and featured a large bay window that provided a marvelous view of the back patio and the ocean beyond.

Castle tossed the keys of their rental car on the kitchen counter and unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt. His head began to swirl so he leaned up against the counter for support. The wine Gina had ordered with dinner was some of the best he had had a in a long time and he had helped himself to it much more than he should have. But he had also heeded Gina's advice about not overworking himself too much this summer. Since he had made remarkable progress on the book, he was entitled to a little fun, at least for the night. So he had enjoyed himself a lot more than he ever thought, given that he was sitting across a dinner table from a woman with whom he had once gone through a bitter divorce. But as he had once told Beckett, people can change, and maybe Gina had mellowed some.

Beckett. There she was again, invading his thoughts. For a moment, Castle imagined her gliding in the kitchen after him, wearing that fabulous blue Herve Leger dress that she had worn to the _Heat Wave_ release party, her heels clip-clopping on his hard wood floors, her hair loosely curled and just as loosely pinned back behind her ears. She stops and leans up against the kitchen counter like he does, seemingly thinking to herself and idly playing with her mother's ring that hangs on a chain around her neck. Then another figure enters the kitchen – HIS kitchen. It's Tom Demming. What the hell is he doing here – in MY house? Demming, dressed in one of his annoyingly perfect-looking suits, smiles his annoyingly perfect million watt smile and walks over to Kate, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiles a bright smile back and curls her arms around his neck, bringing his mouth to hers…

"Rick!" Gina's voice hit him like a bolt of lightning, waking him from his conscious nightmare.

"Huh? What?" He stammered, trying to focus his eyes on the blonde woman standing before him.

"Oh, have you had too much to drink?" Gina asked.

"I think so," Castle answered. "I'm seeing things that I really don't want to and shouldn't be seeing." He realized that his head had begun to feel like it weighed ten tons and his body felt light as feather while all his nerve endings seemed to be standing at attention, picking up on the gentlest of sensations.

"I guess that's my fault," Gina admitted. "I'd just heard so many great things about that one vineyard and I knew the Blue and White had it on their wine list, so I guess I got a little carried away."

"Hmm, me too." Castle began to slide slightly off to his left, causing Gina to grab hold of his right arm. Her touch seemed to clear his head a little.

"Alright, let's get you over to the couch before you fall and crack that handsome head of yours."

"Handsome? Don't you remember during our divorce you said that you couldn't stand to even look at me anymore?" Castle protested as Gina guided him by the shoulders over to the long leather couch in the family room. She turned him around and he plopped down onto the cushions. She kept her eyes fixed on his as she leaned in close to him, her hands on his knees.

"Well, people can change you know," she said and glanced at his lips. Castle swallowed, utterly befuddled by the night's turn of events. If she was trying to seduce him, it was working despite his best efforts to resist. Damn all that wine!

Gina inhaled, straightened up and headed back to the kitchen. "You interested in dessert? I got some cheesecake and strawberries while I was out earlier. Or maybe just some ice cream with chocolate sauce?"

"Gina, I don't know if that's such a good idea," Castle called from his seat.

For a second Gina panicked. She thought her plan was sunk for sure. She had tried to be subtle, yet at the same time direct and saucy, just like that detective woman who Castle had spent so much time hanging around with in New York. The one who was clearly infatuated with him, and for whom, he must have some kind of feelings too. Exactly what he felt towards this Detective Beckett, Gina couldn't quite make out, but that day at the precinct when she had come to collect her ex-husband for this trip, she had seen it written all over her face. Gina took a fiendish delight in walking out of the precinct with her hand around his waist and with his around hers. Take that, sweetie.

Gina collected herself quickly and simply asked "what do you mean? Are you OK?"

"No," was Castle's answer.

Oh my god, he's seen right through me, Gina thought. Her mind began racing through alternative plans that would still lead to the same desired result.

"I'm completely stuffed from that dinner, ugh! I don't think I'll be able to eat again until next week." Castle said and he rubbed his stomach and dropped his head all the way back until it touched the back of the couch.

Gina exhaled silently. Whew, that was close. Her plan was intact. She went over to the refrigerator and pulled out the package of bright red, plump strawberries she had bought earlier and walked back over to Castle.

"C'mon, just one or two? They're fresh picked." Gina waved the opened package in front of Castle's face. As the smell of the fresh fruit hit his nose, he slowly brought his head back until it rested on his chest.

"They do look good. OK, just one or two." Castle fished out a strawberry and took a bite. He groaned with pleasure at how juicy and tasty it was.

Gina sat down next to him and pulled a strawberry out of the package for herself. She finished it and put the leftover stem on the top of the package at the same time that Castle finished his strawberry. Their hands touched as they both reached for another at the time. Their eyes met. While Castle broke his gaze away, Gina didn't. She pulled out another strawberry, this one slightly larger than her first, and bit into it all the while keeping her eyes fixated on Castle's. I've got him, she thought.

Maybe it was the wine, or the fruit, or the hour, or the fact that Beckett had encroached into his mind twice today for the first time since he'd left the precinct a week ago, but for the first time in many years, Castle was turned on by Gina. Those nagging thoughts that told him he should stop nipped at his consciousness, but like flies on a bug zapper, they were eliminated as he watched Gina bite into another strawberry and a drop of juice hang on the side of her mouth. She licked her lips slowly, but failed to reach the drop.

"You've got some juice on your mouth," Castle said quietly.

"Really?" Gina responded, her chest beginning to heave slightly. "Is it here?" She touched the other side of her mouth from where the drop was.

"No, it's right here," Castle corrected and leaned in close to her, probably closer than necessary, but he couldn't help himself. He used his thumb to wipe away the juice and found that he couldn't and didn't want to back off or take his eyes off Gina's, which were now looking deep into his soul. She reached out and put a stray hair over his forehead back in place, then stroked the left side of his face. His eyes flicked down to her bosom. She knew it was now or never. She leaned in to him, so close that their lips were barely an inch from each other, letting him smell her perfume. She then backed away slowly, stood up, and pulled Castle up to join her. She led him down the hall and into one of the guest bedrooms and turned on a sconce that hung on the wall next to the door frame. It cast a dim, romantic light throughout the room.

Gina put both her hands on Castle's cheeks and brought his mouth crashing into hers. Completely defenseless, Castle snaked his arms around her waist, walked her backward towards the bed and pushed her down. He landed on top of her, but she quickly rolled him over onto his back, tasting the strawberries and some wine from dinner that lingered on his mouth. Her tongue found its way past his lips to do battle with his. He found the zipper on her dress and slowly pulled it down. He rose up slightly and slipped out of the suit jacket he was still wearing as Gina frantically undid the buttons on his dress shirt. He yanked it off and pulled the straps of her dress off her shoulders and down her arms to reveal her bra and her breasts underneath.

Gina sat up, straddling him and rubbing his bare chest with her hands. He stared back at her, fleetingly imagining that it was Kate on top of him, that it was her brown hair tickling his face, her intense green eyes probing his, her soft hands exploring his chest, her lips coming down to meet his. Castle closed his eyes as a wave of electricity charged through his system at the fantasy of him and Beckett alone in this bed in his summer house, skin touching skin. In reality, it was Gina he made love to, but in his mind, it was Kate.

While tugging at Castle's belt and then working his pants down his legs, Gina inwardly congratulated herself. She had done it. She had gotten him to put that detective out of his mind and focus on her. And, boy did he ever focus on her. The sex they shared that night was some of the best she had ever had with any man, and she'd had plenty of men. Now she would have him, all to herself. And she'd never allow him to miss another deadline again, nor become distracted by some pretty bimbo with a badge. After such an amazing night, how could he ever become distracted by another woman?

The next morning, Castle awoke to the sun blazing through the guest room window onto his face and to the smell of coffee and pancakes wafting in from the kitchen. He rolled over onto his back, and then realized that this wasn't the room he had slept in the previous night. He also realized that he was naked under the bed sheets and that his clothes from last night's dinner were nowhere to be seen.

Last night's dinner. Wine. Seafood. More wine. Entirely too much wine. Then Gina. And strawberries. More Gina. Visions of Beckett. And…oh no. What have I done, he thought. What have I done?


	5. Chapter 5

Aftermath Chapter 5

Castle swung his legs off the bed quickly and tried to clear his head. He had a slight headache as a result of all the wine he drank last night. More like as a result of all the wine GINA got him to drink last night. He rubbed his face and glared towards the kitchen, where he could hear her humming as she must be preparing breakfast. Pancakes, it smelled like. A brief smile crossed his face as he remembered Ryan's and Esposito's reactions to his spending the night at Beckett's during the Scott Dunn case and making her pancakes the next morning. The perfect way to say thank you so much for last night, Esposito had teased him. So that's what's on Gina's mind this morning, he thought.

He got up from the bed, still naked, and stuck his head outside the doorframe to check to see if the coast was clear. He wanted to confront Gina, but more importantly, he wanted to have the upper hand when he did. That meant not talking to her in his birthday suit. When he was sure she hadn't heard him wake up, he tip-toed into the hall and quietly made his way up the stairs to the second floor, where his master bedroom was. He slipped inside and closed the door, heaving a sigh of relief. He pulled on some boxers, a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt. He also threw some water on his face in an effort to clear his head.

How had this happened, he thought. He was sure she had only agreed to accompany him to the Hamptons for the summer for professional reasons. Sure, their phone conversation the night before he left New York City had been great, but once they had arrived at his house she had given him no indication that she wanted to move beyond being just his publisher. If anything, a stranger would have seen them as solid friends, not lovers. How could he have missed that her true intentions were to seduce him? Then it hit him – could there be things that he missed with Beckett? He had sensed a little bit of nervousness and tension in her voice when she'd asked him if she would see him in the fall before he left the precinct. Lanie would know if something was going on. He found his cell phone sitting on top of his dresser and was dismayed to see that she still hadn't returned his phone call. He slipped it into his back pocket as a reminder to try her again later. He heard Gina call him from downstairs and steeled himself. Stick to your guns and don't give an inch, he thought as he headed downstairs towards the kitchen.

She was standing in the kitchen at the oven flipping pancakes, a mug of fresh coffee in her free hand. She hadn't even bothered to get dressed, instead wearing a white satin robe that barely covered her backside.

"Good morning, darling. It's about time you got up. How are you this morning?" She trilled as she quickly began closing the distance between herself and Castle who stood halfway between the kitchen and the family room at the end of the hall.

"Pissed," Castle answered stone faced. This is it, Gina thought. But she had also prepared a plan in case this was the way he reacted.

"Pissed?" she questioned, feigning confusion. "Why are you pissed? You seemed anything but last night." She seductively tried to touch his chest, only to have him back away.

"Gina, what were your intentions when you agreed to join me this summer? Was it to see the book finished or to get in my pants? Because I should tell you, the former is most definitely going to happen, and the latter will happen again over my dead body since you seduced me." Castle gave her a hard, firm look and stood up as straight as he could to show her that he had no intention of letting her manipulate him again.

"Seduced you? I admit things went last night just as I had hoped, but to say I seduced you would be a little harsh, I think. And of course I want the book done, sweetie. But to be honest, as this week passed, and you seemed more relaxed and free of…distraction, so I thought, let's give us another go. Isn't that what you wanted?" She stepped close to him so that her breasts were almost touching his chest, and titled her head back, giving him a perfect view down her bathrobe to her brassiere.

"Oh please. The wine? My favorite restaurant? The strawberries? You knew exactly what you were doing and that I wouldn't be able to resist. Only from now on, I'm not playing along. There is no us and there never will be. Our relationship…will remain…strictly…professional," Castle said, pausing in between words for emphasis. "By the way, what exactly do you mean by 'distractions'?"

Gina's stomach lurched and she thought she let him see a slight flinch in one of her eyes. She could not let him know how she hated that detective woman, how she thought a woman who runs through dark alleys and tangles with the scum of society for a living could never make him happy, how he belonged with her, Gina Cowell.

"You just seemed to be having a little too much fun at the precinct, gallivanting all around town chasing people every which way when you should be home alone writing."

"How am I supposed to write a series of books about a tough, intelligent female detective and her colleagues without shadowing them?"

"Exactly how much 'research' do you need to do for Nikki Heat, Richard?" Gina caught herself starting to lose her cool. "You've been shadowing her for a year and a half now, how much is enough?"

A little light sprung to life in Castle's head when he heard Gina use the word 'her' instead of 'them.' "So that's what this is about – it's about her. Detective Beckett." Castle replied calmly, secure in the knowledge that he had Gina cornered. Another slight flinch in her eye similar to the one he had caught a moment ago confirmed it.

"What are you talking about?" Gina asked confused.

"You're jealous of Detective Beckett, aren't you? What is it exactly? Is it the fact that she didn't curl up and die when her mother was murdered and the case went unsolved, but fought back whereas you hide behind your attorneys or just bong your way to what you want? Is it the fact that she built her career herself whereas your daddy's money is what got you started? Is it the fact that I dedicated a book to her and never to you or that I based a character on her and never did the same for you? Is it the fact that I've only known her for a short time but that I think she's the strongest and most intelligent, beautiful, passionate, caring woman I've ever met? No, I know what it is. It's the fact that I was imagining that it was her I was making love to last night and…not …you." Castle spoke with increasing fierceness as he saw that his effort to push Gina over the edge was working. His body tingled, initially with embarrassment, then with excitement as he admitted dreaming about making love to Beckett the night before. He felt like he had taken a small step on a journey for which there would be going back.

The whole time Castle spoke, Gina's anger multiplied. It's not possible that he can care for her like that. She's a nobody. She doesn't KNOW him like I do. But when Castle added the last part about their sleeping together last night, that was the final straw.

"You damn fool. You think a relationship with her could actually work? I know you, Rick. You'd be sick of her and back in someone else's pants within 6 months. She knows that too doesn't she? If she's as smart and good of a detective as you say she is, then I'll bet she's already figured that out. Hasn't she?" Gina challenged.

Castle thought of how Beckett had turned down his invitation to the Hamptons to be with Demming, then lied to him about it. Obviously, she didn't see him as serious relationship material, and saw Demming as just that. Gina is right. She does know him. But not all of him. Castle knew that, like Beckett, he had more than his share of dark and painful experiences that he didn't like talking about. Yet she trusted him enough to share hers with him after only working with him for a few weeks. What was keeping him from reciprocating and revealing another side of himself to her? I guess I'm as much of an onion as Beckett, he thought. And for once, the possibility of sharing his darkness didn't scare him. It would certainly be worth seeing what happened between them when he did.

"That still doesn't change the fact that I care about her in a way that I will never, ever care about you again. Give it up, Gina. 'Us' is over." Castle answered finally. "Now this is my house, so I want you out of here by this afternoon."

"'Us' may be over, sweetcakes, but your book isn't. And as long as it's not finished, I'm not leaving. You can try whatever you want – change the locks, even erect a ten foot tall fence if you want. But if you do, I promise I will be on the phone to my attorneys to recover your advance so fast, that you _will_ not know what hit you." Gina threatened.

"Fine," Castle relented. He needed that advance and knew that he'd never win in court against his publishing company's lawyers. "But you are leaving the same day that it's finished. No questions."

"Fine," Gina said. "Now I have a meeting in town with some investors, so as much as I'm enjoying hearing about how you intend on ruining your career by continuing to chase a woman who cannot possibly know you or be as good for you as I am, I need to go get ready." As she brushed past Castle and headed for the hallway, he caught hold of her arm.

"She knows me well enough to realize that I much prefer a woman who isn't afraid to be herself rather than who she thinks I want her to be."

Gina wrenched her arm away from a smirking Castle and stomped up the stairs.


	6. Chapter 6

Aftermath Chapter 6

First the first time in a long time, Castle felt great. The altercation with Gina left him invigorated, which, in turn, got his creative juices flowing. He couldn't figure out if it was the fact that he had put a stop to Gina's plans to revive their relationship, the fact that he had discovered her feelings of jealousy towards Beckett, or the fact that for the first time in a week he had let himself be filled up by his feelings for Beckett and reminded himself of thoughts of how wonderful she is. Whatever the reason, with Gina upstairs preparing for her meeting, he grabbed his laptop, parked himself on the same lounge chair where he had worked the day before and began typing. He heard Gina come downstairs and then head out the door without a word to him.

Two hours later, Gina still hadn't returned, and Castle had finished the chapter he had been working on the day before, as well as another shorter chapter, so he decided to break for lunch. He headed back in the house and saw his cell phone sitting on the kitchen counter next to his keys, which reminded him of his plan to try to reach Lanie again. He scrolled through his contacts list until he found her number and punched send. It rang several times before her voicemail picked up. He left what he hoped was a polite, casual, but interested-in-what-was-going-on message. He then made himself a thick ham sandwich and was in the middle of chewing a large bite, when his phone buzzed. It was Lanie.

"Huhwo?" Castle answered, trying to finish chewing while at the same time avoid choking.

"Castle?" Lanie asked. He could tell she was speakerphone.

"Yah. Sowwy, I'm eating wunch." He finally swallowed. Geez, that took forever. "I'm here. What's going on? How have you been?"

"'Bout the same. Bodies come in, I cut them open, bodies go out. It's really not that much different." While Lanie was being friendly, Castle sensed a tinge of … what was it? Anger? Worry? Concern?

"So, things haven't changed much, I guess?" Castle probed, subtly trying to get the answer to an entirely different question.

"Knock off the subtext, Castle. I know what you're getting at," Lanie answered in her classic direct tone.

"You do?" He queried. This was gonna be easier than he thought.

"Yes, I do. It's why I called in the first place. By the way, I'm sorry I didn't call answer your other call. We got slammed here at the morgue Memorial Day weekend."

"No worries."

"Well, let's get down to brass knuckles then. How's it going with the book?"

"Very well, actually. I've gotten about five chapters done and I'm almost at the end. It'll take maybe another week or two after that for rewriting, then I'll turn it over to Gina, er…my publisher."

"It sounds like you've made really good progress. Congrats,"

"Thanks." Castle shifted on his feel as an awkward silence fell over the phone.

"So I guess your publisher is really keeping on top of you, then?" Lanie said, being sure to put slight emphasis on "keeping on top of you."

Funny choice of words, Castle thought. Undoubtedly, Beckett had told the gang about his, hers, and Gina's brief conversation before he left. But he found it very interesting that she had included that little detail.

"Yes and no," Castle responded.

"What does that mean?" Lanie asked curiously.

"Let's just say she and I had a little talk this morning that clarified a lot of things." Castle couldn't help but let a grin cross his face, which, he was sure, Lanie could pick up on even through the phone.

"Oh really?"

"Yep. Once I finish the book, she is outta here."

"So she's not staying the entire summer?"

Castle was now beginning to wonder if someone else was listening to their conversation on her end, especially since he thought he heard the clop of a shoe echo ff the morgue's tile floor. No matter, he thought. If Lanie was interested in a game supposedly without subtext, then he'd play along.

"Only if it takes me the rest of the summer to finish, and given that I'm almost done, I seriously doubt that will happen."

"Ok. But you're still gonna stay there for the summer, right?"

"Yeah, I thought it'd be best. You know, recharge my batteries. Alexis and Mother will be gone too, so no real reason to head back to the city. Unless, you've got one for me."

"Unfortunately, nope. As much as I'd love to hear your dulcet tones around my table, I can't think of a single reason to make you interrupt your plans." Lanie said.

Castle's eyes flew open wide at Lanie's comment. Her emphasizing the word 'single' could not possibly an accident. Could it be that things between Beckett and Demming hadn't worked out? But she seemed to want to be with him. She was so happy that night in the conference room when she came in and opened up a beer to join everyone. She was flirty too. More flirty than she'd been towards him in a while. Then Castle's earlier thoughts about missing something related to Beckett's demeanor that night came back to him. Holy cow, I did miss something.

"You still there?" Lanie asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. I just had a brilliant idea that I'll have to find a way to incorporate into the book," Castle covered.

"Well, don't let me keep you then," Lanie said.

"Yeah, I should probably let you go get back to your table. Nice talking to you Lanie."

"Likewise, Castle. Good luck with the book and enjoy the rest of the summer." Now Lanie couldn't hide the smile in her voice.

"Thanks. You have a good summer too. And do me a favor?"

"What would that be?"

"Tell the guys that I'm thinking about them and I'll see them in September. And Beckett. Especially Beckett. Tell her that even though I've only been gone a week, I miss her rolling her eyes at me."

A grin now lit up Lanie's whole face. "My pleasure, Castle. Take care."

"You too." Castle smiled brightly as he headed back to finish his sandwich. Things were definitely looking up.

Meanwhile, back at the morgue in New York, Lanie also smiled widely as she ended the phone call.

"How did you learn to do that?" Beckett asked her friend incredulously.

"Please honey, there's nothing to it. With as big a family as I have, you get pretty darn good at both giving and picking up on subtext. Plus, I'm an ME. It's my job to notice things that aren't readily obvious."

"No, right. Of course. I just meant-"

"Don't worry about it. I know what you meant," Lanie said and playfully nudged her friend's arm before getting serious. "So, you feel better now hearing all that?"

"A little. Sorta," Beckett answered trying to diffuse the girly glee that was bubbling up in her system. But when Lanie gave her one of her patented "oh puh-lease" looks, she took the lid off. "Ok, yes. I feel much better," she said with her eyes dancing. Then a depressing thought crossed her mind. "You don't think he slept with her, do you?"

"It's hard to tell, Debbie Downer," Lanie teased. "And I'm sorry, but you're on your own getting the answer to that question. You're my girl, but I am not getting all up in that kinda business with you two."

"Alright, fair enough," Beckett relented. "I gotta get back anyway. Thanks for your help, Lanie."

"Anytime." As Beckett turned to head out the double door exit Lanie winked at her. Beckett had only take a couple steps out into the hallway when she went back for a final question.

"We're still gonna nail him when he comes back, right?"

"Absolutely," Lanie answered enthusiastically. Both women chuckled before heading back to work.

Hours later, Beckett, Ryan, and Esposito had just returned from walking through a crime scene, when Beckett noticed a special delivery courier envelope on her desk. She opened it up and found inside an envelope the size of a standard greeting card with just her first name scrawled on the front in familiar handwriting. Her heart began beating a little faster as she opened the smaller envelope. It was a "thinking of you" card. Beckett couldn't help but blush slightly as she read the message on the inside back cover:

_**SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER.**_

_**SEE YOU WHEN THE SUMMER'S THROUGH.**_

_**HAVE A GOOD TIME BUT REMEMBER,**_

_**THERE IS DANGER IN THE SUMMER MOON ABOVE (NOT TO MENTION ON THE SUBWAY).**_

_**WILL I SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER OR LOSE YOU TO ANOTHER SCOTT DUNN?**_

**Just a little note to let you know that I'm thinking of you. And that I don't want to lose you as a friend.**

**Be safe and have fun. Really...it's OK to do that once in a while. :-)**

**All the best for the summer,**

**RC**

He didn't know, but he had in part quoted one of her mom's favorite songs, See You In September, by The Happenings. The "friend" part bothered her a little, but for now, she decided it was enough.


End file.
